Download Infectious Diseases and Response - Policy

Infectious Diseases and Response Policy
Document Number: UNL A022.01
Approval Authority: CEO
Last Approval Date: July 2015
Review date: July 2016
Audience: UQ Sport Staff; UQ Community; Parents & Guardians; Children
1. Policy
UQ Sport aims to remove immediate risks to the health of children by implementing procedures to deal
with infectious diseases whilst respecting the privacy of individuals. Staff, parents / carers, children or
other customers with infectious diseases may be temporarily excluded from attending programs to
prevent spreading diseases to others.
For the purpose of this policy, infectious diseases means communicable diseases and notifiable
diseases according to the Commonwealth Department of Health (www.health.gov.au) and
Communicable Diseases Network Australia (www.cda.gov.au). A communicable disease is a disease
you can catch (www.health.qld.gov.au).
2. Overview and definition of common communicable
diseases
Diphtheria – means:
A bacteria which are found in the mouth, throat and nose of an infected person. Diphtheria can cause a
membrane to grow around the inside of the throat, which can lead to difficulty in swallowing,
breathlessness and suffocation. A powerful poison (toxin) is produced by the diphtheria bacteria and
may cause serious complications.
Pertussis (whooping cough) – means:
A highly contagious disease caused by bacteria and is spread by coughing or sneezing. Whooping
cough affects the air passages and can cause difficulty in breathing. Coughing spasms occur and
between these spasms, the child gasps for breath causing the characteristic ‘whoop’ sound. Not all
children get the ‘whoop’. Vomiting often follows a coughing spasm. The cough may persist for up to 3
months.
Measles – means:
A serious, highly contagious viral illness of fever, rash, runny nose, cough and conjunctivitis.
Complications following measles can be very dangerous, and pneumonia occurs in 4% of cases. For
every 10 children who contract measles encephalitis, one will die and up to four will have permanent
brain damage. Measles has caused more deaths in Australia in the past 15 years than diphtheria,
pertussis and rubella combined.
Mumps – means:
A viral disease, which causes fever, headache and inflammation of the salivary glands. Occasionally it
causes an infection of the membranes covering the brain (meningitis) but permanent effects are rare. In
as many as five per 1,000 patients it can cause inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). Mumps can
also cause permanent deafness.
Chickenpox – means:
A highly contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Chickenpox starts with cold-like
symptoms such as a runny nose, mild fever, cough and fatigue followed by a rash. The rash usually
starts on the trunk of the body and spreads over the whole body. The rash starts as small red spots
which rapidly turn into blisters. Chickenpox is spread through coughs and sneezes and through direct
contact with the fluid in the blisters of the rash. In healthy children, chickenpox is usually a mild disease
which lasts about 5-10 days. The chickenpox rash can be very itchy and scratching can lead to bacterial
infections of the spots. Children with other medical conditions are at risk of developing other lifethreatening complications such as pneumonia or inflammation of the brain (encephalitis).
Meningococcal C – means:
A disease is an uncommon life-threatening infection caused by bacteria that live at the back of the throat
or in the nose in about 10% of people at any one time. Although most people who carry these bacteria
remain well, they can spread the meningococcal C bacteria to others. The onset of meningococcal C
disease may be very quick and can rapidly cause brain infection (meningitis) or blood poisoning
(septicaemia) or a combination of both. In Australia, 15% of people who develop meningococcal C
disease die. The highest rate of meningococcal C disease occurs in children under 5 years of age.
Hepatitis B means:
A virus affects the liver and can cause fever, nausea, tiredness, dark urine and yellow skin (jaundice).
About 5% of people infected as adults, and most of those infected as children, become carriers of the
infection and can continue to spread it to other people. These carriers are also at increased risk of
developing liver disease and cancer later in life.
3. Procedure
Monitoring
• UQ Sport will endeavour to keep up to date with the latest information on infectious diseases
within the community.
• UQ Sport will use the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) resource
“Staying Healthy in Childcare” (4th Ed.) when making decisions about exclusion periods.
Reporting
• Parents / carers have a responsibility to inform UQ Sport of any infectious diseases their child
or immediate family members may be suffering.
• Staff have a responsibility to inform UQ Sport of any infectious disease they or their immediate
family members may be suffering from.
• Children and staff are advised not to attend if they are unwell, and to notify UQ Sport of their
absence.
• UQ Sport is responsible for reporting to parents / carers all notifiable diseases whilst maintaining
the privacy of any individuals concerned.
• A notice will be displayed at relevant venues when there has been a report of an infectious
disease at the program. The individual’s privacy is to be respected at all times.
• Records regarding the detection of an infectious disease will be kept and maintained by UQ
Sport. Records will include the child’s name, age, symptoms, date and time staff first noticed
any illness, and any action taken. This is to be kept confidential.
Exclusion
• All persons including children, parents / carers and staff suffering from an infectious disease
may be temporarily excluded from a program or venue to prevent others from infection.
• When anyone is found to be showing signs of an infectious disease:
o for a child, the parent / carer may be asked to immediately collect them and seek further
medical advice;
o for staff, they may be immediately released from duties and asked to seek further
medical advice; and
• If an infectious disease is diagnosed by a medical practitioner, the person may be excluded for
the recommended period advised by the NHMRC.
• A person may be required to present a medical certificate stating they are no longer infectious,
signed by a medical practitioner, before they can return to a program.
For people that are not immunised
• Children, staff and other adults may be excluded if there is an outbreak of an infectious disease
against which they have not been immunised. The exclusion period will be as recommended by
NHMRC.
Response strategy
• UQ Sport will promote basic hygiene techniques, such as hand-washing, to prevent the spread
of infectious diseases.
• Staff, children and parents / carers are asked not to attend a UQ Sport program if they are
unwell.
• Information on UQ Sport’s policies and procedures regarding infectious diseases will be
available for view.
• UQ Sport will follow Australian Government Guidelines and review policies on an annual basis.